


A Rebel and her Jedi

by PetitMinou



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Kanera Week 2020, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, tagging for eventual canon character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26223733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetitMinou/pseuds/PetitMinou
Summary: Some milestones through Kanan and Hera's relationship.
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Comments: 15
Kudos: 52
Collections: Kanera Week 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1: Stolen Moments/Making Each Other Laugh
> 
> This kind of answers both prompts, entirely by accident. I have tomorrow's prompt written and ideas for the others, so we shall see where the week takes me.

“This isn’t what I signed on for,” Kanan says, collapsing into the copilot’s chair.

Hera doesn’t even try to defend herself, exhaustion written in every line of her body as she punches in the coordinates and pushes the ship into hyperspace.Once done she slumps in her seat, clearly wrung out and planning on sleeping right there.

Watching her, Kanan notes the bags under her eyes and a singed patch on her sleeve.Okay, even if he’s running on nothing but stubbornness and way too much caffeine, she actually looks worse.“C’mon,” he mumbles, reaching out with one foot to prod her.“Bed time.And I mean a real bed.”

Hera squints open one eye to peer at him, but doesn’t even bother to brush away the impertinent foot.That, even more than the way her lekku droop, tells him she’s more tired than she’s letting on.He’s been awake for almost thirty solid hours now, but come to think of it Hera had been up and moving even before that.

He’ll make sure she makes it to her bed.Eventually.But now that he’s sitting down it would be so much easier to just…stay there.He lets his head fall back, but it’s starting to ache dully.Reaching up to tug the tie out of his hair relieves the pressure on his scalp, and he sighs.

His eyes closed, he doesn’t see what makes Hera stifle a snort of laughter and he snaps back to full alertness.“What?”She’s staring at him, one hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking, eyes crinkled with mirth.“What’s so funny?”

Hera takes a deep breath, clearly trying to get herself under control, only to lose it again when he shakes his head.

Kanan just stares at her, perplexed, until at last she manages to gasp out— “Your hair.I’ve never seen it…loose.”

Huh.He’s not entirely sure how to respond to that.He reaches up to run a hand through it, greasy as it is.Yep, there’s definitely a weird bump in the back from his ponytail too.Admittedly it probably looks pretty funny, but not _that_ funny.

Hera leans forward in her seat, reaches out—and then yanks her hand back.It takes him a moment to realize what she was going for.“It’s kind of gross right now, but you can touch it if you want.”

It’s testament to how tired she is, since normally she would never be this easy to read.And much to his surprise, she actually takes him up on the offer.Hesitantly she stands, takes the step over to his side, and runs one hand through his hair.She catches a couple of tangles, but since it’s been tied up all day her fingers glide through smoothly for the most part.Kanan’s eyes drift shut at the sensation.When was the last time he’d had this kind of contact with another being?Not since sometime before he’d met Hera, that’s certain.

She repeats the motion, this time pausing to fan out the ends.“It’s soft,” she murmurs, sounding mystified.“But I kind of expected it to be…I dunno, warmer?”

Kanan laughs, hoping it’s not obvious just how fast his heart is beating.“All the running around the galaxy you do, and you’ve never played around with human hair?” he teases.

Hera gives a tug against the side of his head.“Usually I shoot them before they get this close.”

“Guess I’m just lucky then,” he says, opening his eyes and giving her what he hopes comes off as a saucy grin.Going by her single raised eyebrow it’s a success.

She doesn’t pull away though, apparently fascinated enough with his hair to put up with his nonsense.She shifts around to stand directly in front of him, bringing up both hands to detangle the few locks still twisted from the ponytail.Kanan does his best to keep his eyes open, determined not to make this weird.It’s hard, though, especially when she’s getting bolder by the second.When she presses both hands to the sides of his head, runs her fingers right against his scalp and down through his hair—he can’t suppress a shiver and a quavery little noise in the back of his throat.

Somehow Hera doesn’t yank her hands back, and when he meets her gaze there’s something there.Not…intent, not really.More like calculating.Weighing something.His heart leaps; without meaning to he’s leaning forward, drawn in by the possibility—

That snaps her out of it, and she deliberately disentangles her fingers before drawing back.“We both need to sleep,” she announces, heading for the door.“And we will both do that better in our beds.”

He sighs, doing his best not to let her hear his disappointment, and heaves himself to his feet as well.“Agreed.Beds it is.”

She actually stops before they reach to crew cabins, looking up at him, her eyes softer than he’s ever seen them.

“What?”

“Nothing.”She shakes her head, the moment clearly passing.“Good night, Kanan.”

That’s definitely new, and his exhausted brain can’t process it before she steps back into her own room and shuts the door.But he still smiles like a fool at the cold durasteel, heart tripping in his chest.“Good night, Hera.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on an undercover mission, Kanan finds himself more paying more attention to his captain than to the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt is "Undercover", pretty self explanatory. Warning for brief, mild sexual harassment.

Kanan is going to die.

Kanan is going to _die._

Kanan is going to die on some stupid little midrim world he’d never even heard of before, without a single stormtrooper firing a shot, and it’s _all Hera’s fault._

No, that’s not fair, it isn’t really her fault.If he hadn’t fallen for a pretty face and agreed to ride along while she saves the galaxy then he wouldn’t be in this mess.He glances over at the woman in question, who is apparently deeply absorbed in the selection of scarves on a shop rack, and sighs.

Actually he’s not even positive what the goal of this particular mission is.He’d made it clear from the start that he’s here for Hera, not whatever idealistic cause she’s bought into.But she needed to go to this insipid little planet for a reason, and needed him along for the ride.

Somehow this world had managed to stay out of the clone wars, and the transition from Republic to Imperial control had been a painless one.Most of the inhabitants are mid level bureaucrats, well-off enough to live away from the stink of Coruscant, junior enough to mostly go unnoticed.The war, the suffering, the injustices—they are all very far away.

The population also happens to be overwhelmingly human.An unaccompanied Twi’lek woman would attract notice, let alone one in full pilot regalia.A Twi’lek as arm candy for a respectable looking human, however…

Normally Kanan would complain about the itchy, confining clothes he’d been forced into, but he’s entirely distracted.Actually, he’s already walked into a street light once, and had a couple other near misses.Hera’s outfit isn’t even all that scandalous, just a sleeveless shirt and loose, soft pants.

Look, he was aware that Hera has shoulders.Everyone has shoulders, obviously.But he wasn’t used to _seeing_ them.And it’s not like he’s inexperienced either.He’s seen a lot of attractive people around the galaxy, frequently wearing a lot less. _And yet…_

Hera casually glances up from the scarf in her hands, eyes sharp as she scans a group of humans across the street from them.He’s not sure what she’s looking for—presumably a contact who will give her some sort of signal—but her attention doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey, tailhead, you like what you see?”One of the men makes an obscene gesture, egged on by his friends.

Kanan doesn’t even register that he’s moved before Hera loops an arm around his elbow, bringing him up short.It probably looks gentle from the other side of the street, but she tucks herself against his side and digs her nails painfully into his skin.

“Sorry boys, I’m busy tonight,” she calls, a vapid smile on her face.

Well, that works faster than any cold shower to get his mind back on the present.Kanan scowls at the sleemo who is now making a different suggestive motion, and when Hera gives him a nudge he sets off down the street.She’s careful, lagging slightly behind as if he’s tugging her along, when in fact she’s steering him around the nearest corner.

“Foul-mouthed little moof-milker,” he mutters as soon as they’re out of sight.Hera lets go of his arm—only to punch him in the shoulder.Hard.“Hey!”

“Are you going to get your head out of the clouds and focus?” she hisses, no trace of the simper now.“I don’t need you mooning over me _or_ starting a fight, I need you watching my back.Clear?”

“Clear, I know, I know,” he says, raising his hands in surrender.Looking at her now—really looking, though he’s still distracted by smooth green skin—she’s tense, her shoulders hitched up just a bit higher, her chin tucked just a bit lower.“Are you okay?”

She looks up at him, apparently caught off guard by the question.“What?”

“Are you okay?” he repeats.“I can do this on my own if you want.You could wait on the _Ghost_.”

She blinks, looking confused for a second, then her expression softens minutely.“I’m okay,” she murmurs.“It’s frustrating, and I wish I could just do this on my own.But—“

“But you might have to shoot someone for getting a little too forward, and then we’re back to square one,” he finishes for her, forcing a smile.“At least when I’m being annoying you can make me scrub the exhaust ports later.”

She laughs, quiet, but it’s there.“And don’t you forget it.”She reaches over, squeezes his arm before slipping hers through it.“Now, lead the way to the next shop down.Subtly.”

“I’m always subtle,” he says, just to watch her smother another snort of laughter.“You brought me on this mission so you must know it’s true.”

“Right.”At least she sounds fond as she rolls her eyes at him.“Let’s get this done.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan is determined not to get drawn into Hera's crusade. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 prompt: Show of support  
> I'm still on time on the west coast! And I'm 3 hours early in Hawaii! It counts!

“So, where are we off to this time?” Kanan asks, settling into his usual seat in the _Ghost_ ’s cockpit.

Hera doesn’t look up from where she’s elbow deep in Chopper’s guts, replacing some part he’d snapped during their last run.She grunts, gestures at the navigation read outs, and returns to tightening a bolt.Kanan’s not entirely sure why she bothers; it’s not like the droid will rattle any less.

He turns away to the navicomputer, takes in the screen in the flickering cyan light of hyperspace.“Lothal?” he asks, spinning his chair idly.“That doesn’t actually tell me much, I’ve never heard of it.”

Hera makes a satisfied noise, snapping Chopper’s front panel shut and reaching around his dome for his power switch.“There’s not much to tell.It’s pretty out of the way, but lately there’s been a lot of chatter on Imperial channels.They’re relocating portions of the population, a few arrests.Nothing major enough to justify the amount of weapons they’ve been shipping there.”

“So we’re playing gun-runners again,” Kanan summarizes, kicking his feet up on Hera’s chair.

She gives him a _look_ , one that says she doesn’t appreciate his cavalier attitude in the slightest.“We’re intercepting a shipment.I have a buyer lined up.We’ll be able to fuel up the _Ghost_ and make some repairs we’ve been putting off.”

“All the same to me,” Kanan says, closing his eyes and scooting down in his chair.It really doesn’t matter to him; they get paid, the Empire loses a single shipment, no undue attention comes their way.Done.

Hera sighs, disappointed, but doesn’t comment.Maybe she shoves his feet off her seat a bit harder than necessary, but he’s used to it.Someday she’ll stop trying to pull him into her crusade.

* * *

His conviction lasts right up until they actually arrive at the green little planet.It goes sideways almost immediately—when doesn’t it?—and they wind up in atmo, dodging TIEs and trying to get a shot in at the lumbering cruiser-carrier.

“I thought you said this planet doesn’t have anything worthwhile on it!” Kanan shouts in the ship comms, targeting computer in his turret flicking between their jostling pursuers.“They’re pretty pissed about ‘nothing worthwhile’!”

“I thought _you_ said you wanted some excitement!” Hera shoots back, the barest hint of strain in her voice as she pulls a whiplash-inducing maneuver around a pillar of rock.One TIE doesn’t make the turn, disintegrating against the stone.Kanan hits two more, sending them spiraling to the grass below.

Abruptly the pursuers break off, heading for a distant settlement.“What are they doing?” Kanan mutters.“Not that I’m complaining, but they don’t usually give up that easy.”

“Chop, get us spliced into their comms,” Hera orders brusquely, heading for orbit.The TIEs diminish to specks as Kanan watches, and something…

Something’s not right.

Some deeply buried instinct is tugging at the edges of his conscience, urging him to act.“Follow those TIEs,” he says, vaulting out of his seat and sliding down the turret ladder.“Whatever you do, do _not_ let them reach the city.”

Hera doesn’t question him, doesn’t hesitate for an instant.He hits the floor ready to run, bounces off a bulkhead as the ship banks sharply, reaches the cockpit just as Hera pushes the thrusters to their limits.“What’s going on?” she asks, leaned forward into the yoke, eyes fixed on the distant buildings.“Why are the TIEs so important?”

“I don’t know.”Kanan takes up his position, checking the flickering read outs.“I don’t know, but something bad is going to happen if we don’t get them.”

Hera doesn’t take her eyes off the viewports, but she tips her head his way, lekku swinging.“I trust you.” Is all she says.It’s all that needs saying.

As they whiz over blurred terrain that transitions from mountains to fields Chopper gives a triumphant beep.The voice of a man fills the cockpit, core-accented and emotionless.“Fugitives are confirmed aboard the stolen shuttle.All craft intercept.Shoot to kill.”

Kanan’s heart lurches—they were supposed to be smuggling weapons, creating minor nuisances, not getting drawn into something much bigger than them.From the way Hera looks at him, she knows exactly what he’s thinking.Yet at this moment all his arguments for why they shouldn’t interfere seem meaningless.

It’s not about the strange ripple in the Force anymore, it’s just a matter of doing what’s right.

He flashes Hera a cocky grin, pulling up the remote controls for his usual turret gun.

“I’m with you all the way,” he tells her, forcing his eyes away from her smile and back to the action.“Let’s go get involved.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After once again using the Force to save her, Kanan opens up to Hera about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this one has been killing me. I'm hoping I'll be able to get the last three prompts done this evening and tomorrow, because hopefully they won't get out of control like this did. Minimally edited because I've been staring at it for four days now and I just want to get it done.

Kanan manages to keep his secret for nearly three years.Admittedly it was a bit of an open secret, since Hera had seen what he can do back on Cynda.But she never brings it up, and he never volunteers the information.It goes both ways though; he doesn’t ask why she avoids the Ryloth system like the plague.

Until he can’t hide it anymore.

They’d ended up back on Lothal again—it’s become a fairly regular occurrence over the past few months.The streets of Capital City are narrow, bustling, only occasionally patrolled by stormtroopers.The population is also diverse enough that Hera doesn’t cause any comment if she sets out on her own for a while.

Kanan generally doesn’t ask where she disappears to.He’s starting to realize that he’s in deep now, whether he likes it or not.But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to dive into outright rebellion.So Hera disappears off into an alley, and he wanders the markets looking for cheap food, trinkets, or Imperial patrol routes.Eventually Hera turns back up again, generally with new information or troop deployments.

This particular day Kanan had happened upon a fruit vendor with a case of meilooruns at the front of his display.Hera’s favorite.He doesn’t stop to think before he starts digging in his pockets for a credit chip.

Then an explosion rocks the ground beneath his feet, sending the Rodian diving for cover under his stand.Kanan is heading for the source before the civilians have even picked themselves back up.Sure, it might be an accident, but he has a horrible feeling that Hera’s involved somehow.He could find her easily, could reach out with the Force, but that’s hardly necessary when he can follow the column of dark smoke rising into the sky.It’s only a couple blocks, covered in a few seconds at a sprint.He skids around the corner, hand already on his blaster hilt—and stops.

Hera is grappling with a stormtrooper on the ground, the man’s weapon kicked out of reach.That doesn’t overly worry Kanan.What _does_ worry him is the AT-ST walker at the far end of the street, canon trained on the struggling pair.

Just at that moment Hera lands a solid kick to the trooper’s stomach, sending him staggering away.Opening the walker’s shot.

Kanan reaches out, like he swore he’d never do again, grasps at the cosmic flow around him and _yanks_ at it.An outstretched hand flings the energy back out, right into the walker.The burst of power is raw, uncontrolled, exactly the kind of thing his Master would have scolded him for.Windows that survived the initial blast shatter all around him, showering the street with glass.

The walker wobbles, shot going wild.The pilot, more experienced—or quicker thinking—than most, sets its feet and adjusts its aim toward the new target.Kanan brings up his other hand, this time giving a directed _shove_.His core burns, muscles straining as he uses abilities long dormant.

This time the walker goes over entirely, crashing into the grey metal wall of the Imperial prefab building behind it.The head caves in on impact, the muffled _whump_ of the munitions igniting barely audible under the noise of crumpling metal.

Kanan slumps, breathing like he’d just physically pushed the thing over himself.

It’s Hera who snaps him out of it, catching him around the waist and diving down the nearest gap between the buildings.The trooper she’d been fighting is nowhere to be seen, presumably taken care of while Kanan was distracted with the walker.They scamper through back ways and a few yards, hopping fences to avoid the troopers converging on the scene.It’s only a matter of a few minutes to make it back to the _Ghost_.

Chopper meets them at the ramp, chirping his annoyance at their lack of subtlety and at Kanan for not keeping Hera out of trouble.Kanan doesn’t even acknowledge it, stepping around the droid and following Hera into the common room.Apparently reading the mood, Chopper makes a rude noise at him and heads for the cockpit alone.

Someone hits the switch for the loading door, though Kanan doesn’t see if it’s Chopper or Hera.By the time he makes it into the common room Hera is already occupied with digging through a cabinet while the decrepit caf maker chugs its way through a pot.He stands aimlessly in the center of the space, watching her as she sets out two mugs, fills one of them with caf and a horrifying amount of sugar, and carries it to a seat at the table. _Then_ she finally looks up at him, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her clasped hands.“I think we need to have a talk.”

He nods, heart kicking in his throat as he slides into the seat next to her.It’s harder than it should be, when it comes right down to it, coming up with the words to say.He glances to the side, meets calm green eyes, and it comes out in a rush.“I was a Jedi.”

It’s hardly a surprise, but he still anticipated more of a response from her.She nods, takes a sip of her caf, and looks at him expectantly. 

“I kind of thought you’d have something to say about that.”

She gives a one shouldered shrug.“I had my suspicions.You’re not actually the first one I’ve known.”He must look stunned, because she goes on—“I was young during the clone wars, but I did meet Master Windu when he helped liberate Ryloth from the Separatists.”

“Oh.”He’d forgotten that Master Windu had been on Ryloth.It’s also the only detail he’s heard about her childhood.“I only met him a few times myself.He taught my Master, and she talked about him a lot.”

Hera leans toward him, presses the side of her foot against his under the table.“Will you tell me about her?”

He does.He tells her about Master Billaba and how she’d picked him as her Padawan and how much he adored her.He tells her about Grey, and Styles, and Stance.He folds his legs under himself, unconscious imitation of the meditation pose his Master had taught him, and tells her about Order 66, Billaba’s death, and his own time spent on the run.He glosses over the years leading up to Gorse, over how he’d tried to drown his memories in drink and sex.She’d seen how he was living, she doesn’t need details.

She interrupts him only once, as he goes back to his partnership with Kasmir.“Hold on now, did you really name yourself after a pirate?” she asks, quietly amused.

“Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time,” he counters.

Hera laughs, and somehow she has wound up pressed close against his side.“What was your name before?”

How long has it been since he’s said it out loud?“Caleb Dume died with the rest of the Jedi,” he says quietly.“That’s not who I am anymore.”

“Hmm.”

He can’t tell what the noise means, but she hasn’t moved away from him and that seems more important than her opinions on his old name.It’s not like she never touches him—they’ve wound up sleeping slumped against each other on this same seat multiple times in the past—but this is…different.Just the fact that she knows about his past, more than he’s told anyone, makes it different.More intimate.

Just then she looks up at him, her lek brushing his shoulder as she shifts, and he is overwhelmed.He has frequently been tempted to kiss her, practically on an hourly basis in fact, but this time when he leans in and stops himself she meets him halfway.It’s such a surprise that he freezes up for several long seconds, and she starts to back off.

“Sorry, I thought—“ is all she gets out before he regains control of his body, sweeps her in close again, and kisses her properly.She hums against his lips, hands coming up to cup his cheeks, and she tastes like the over-sweetened caf he’d teased her about for the past several years.He can feel her heartbeat against his chest, as fast as his own.

She twists against him, winds up straddling his lap as she presses her newfound height advantage.He dares to reach up, stroking one of her lekku to feel the way she shivers and gasps.Not to be outdone she rolls her hips against him, and smiles against his mouth when he groans out loud.She’s warm against him, melting his insides, and he pulls her as close as they can possibly get unless they start removing clothes—

A loud, disapproving beep interrupts them just as he’d started fiddling with the straps of her flight suit.Hera pulls back, breathing fast, eyes dark and heated.He’s very tempted to ignore the droid, but Chopper starts to head at him with terrifying intent, and Kanan does not want to find out what he’s planning.

“I think we need to get a room,” he sighs, grasping Hera around the waist and lifting her to her feet.She laughs, pulls him up with her and past the droid into the hallway.

One day he’ll ask her about the clone wars, about Ryloth, about her past.But that can be saved for another, less interesting time.


End file.
